The 21-year-old has opened up for the first time about her battle with Trichotillomania – a disorder which causes her to pull out her real eyelashes.

Revealed: Sam Faiers has opened up about her secret battle with Trichotillomania

Trichotillomania is an impulse-control disorder which causes people to pull out their hair, which could be from the hair on their head or hair on other parts of their body, which eventually leads to bald patches.

It is a psychological condition and therefore people who suffer with it are not able to stop themselves from pulling out their hair as they feel an intense urge to do so as it causes a sense of relief.

The glamour model who chooses to wear two sets of fake lashes for dramatic effect told The Sun that she has suffered with the disorder, which affects as much as four per cent of the population, since she was eight-years-old.

She said that she started pulling out her eyelashes after someone told her to make a wish on a stray eyelash.

But as an impressionable young child, Sam took that belief to be true and began pulling out her lashes in the hope that all her wishes would be fulfilled and it soon became something that she was unaware she was even doing.

Not just for vanity: The 21-year-old TOWIE star explains she wears false lashes to hide the fact she's pulled out all her real lashes due to her impulsive control disorder

The blonde haired beauty told the newspaper, 'It is hard to explain. I do it without thinking. I do it when I am nervous or bored or even when I am asleep. I don’t even realise I am doing it.'

Sam explained that her mother got really 'frustrated' with her once she realised what her daughter had been doing and took her to see a doctor in the hopes that the issue would be solved.

However, after a seeking treatment and even undergoing hypnotherapy the problem continued.

As a teenager Sam relied on make-up to help her hide the fact she didn't have any eyelashes because in primary school she felt 'embarrassed' when other children used to ask her why she had no eyelashes.

She said, 'I learned to smudge eyeliner a bit around my eyes, and people didn’t notice my lack of lashes so much. That made me more relaxed about it and I was able to tell people the truth if they asked.'

Stunning: The TOWIE star shines on a night on the town

Although the reality star has come to terms with her disorder, she says that the support of her family members has helped her with her confidence but she has admitted that she has no immediate plans to combat it as she's too busy.

'My family and boyfriends say I look beautiful either way, although I guess they have to say that! I can see that other people are surprised the first time they see me without my lashes or make-up.'

She continued, 'I probably will try to overcome the problem eventually, but I don’t feel I have the time for it at the moment. I still don’t normally talk about it. It’s just those close to me that know — until now.'

Beautiful: Sam's proved she is comfortable with her on-an-off boyfriend Joey Essex as last week she was pictured without her eyelashes